[caption id="attachment_1550" align="alignleft" width="180"]<img class=" wp-image-1550" style="margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 2px; border: black 1px solid;" title="Monica Ibarra" alt="Monica Ibarra " src="http://news.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Monica-Ibarra-RESIZED-225x300.jpg" width="180" height="240" /> Luck would have it that when a boy began to drown it was Monica, mere days since finishing her CPR course, who was there to save him.[/caption]

Saving the life of a young child was not on the schedule for Monica Ibarra on the sunny afternoon of June 17th, but it managed to hastily pencil itself in.

Just 3 days after receiving her certification in CPR and First Aid, Monica saved a young boy’s life.

Monica was at a favorite (but secluded) swimming area when a large family with many young children arrived. Despite Monica’s warnings about the water getting suddenly deeper and advising them to keep a close eye on their children, one of the boys slipped on a rock and began to drown.

While other onlookers called 911 Monica went into action utilizing all of her CPR skills.

“‘I know CPR’ that’s what I told her [the boy’s mother],” said Monica.

“I asked her permission to perform CPR on him and she said, ‘yes’. I tried to keep her calm while I checked his pulse. I could tell he wasn’t breathing normally, and his pulse was faint so I began CPR, and I kept doing it for 30 minutes to almost an hour,” Monica explains.

“I didn’t get tired though; I was just focused on getting him to breathe.”

As Monica continued to perform CPR the young boy threw up the water and began to breathe again.

Being a mother herself, Monica was honored to be able to do what she could to help this woman’s son.

“My reward was that the mom still had her little boy there because of my training and paying attention in class- it all paid off! In the end he was okay and responding,” she says.

This situation put Monica’s long term goal of being an EMT into perspective. She is anxious to learn more from the instructors at SJVC <a title="San Joaquin Valley College Hanford Campus " href="http://www.sjvc.edu/hanford" target="_blank">Hanford</a> in the next few months before she graduates.

“They are very personal with you, and you don’t feel intimidated,” Monica says about the instructors at <a title="San Joaquin Valley College " href="http://www.sjvc.edu/" target="_blank">SJVC</a>. “They always have an answer for your questions. I love that about SJVC.”

With this experience under her belt, Monica is looking forward to a future full of helping people in whatever way she can.

“That was something big, and I’ve just been looking forward to learning more and more and more,” she says enthusiastically. “With everything that has come from that experience, I just want to learn more.”